Went To a Verizon Store Today. Holy Crap.

I went to Verizon today because my A/C charger was no longer working and I did a warranty exchange. No big deal. So I thought that while I was there, maybe they could respond to a few questions/concerns I had. And from there, things went south fast...

I've never done business before with "professionals" as naive and uninformed as the staff at Verizon. I inquired about why I lose signal at my desk at work but my coworkers who are also Verizon customers but use Motorola phones get between 1 and 2 bars. Her response was a 10 second blank stare followed by a Google query. The result - no answer.

My next question was, "how can I consolidate space on the internal memory and transfer items to my SD card (I have 1GB of internal memory left). She accessed my photo gallery, selected all pictures, and inadvertently deleted my album. Luckily I had already backed my pics up to the Cloud. Then, after noticing that my "accessory" storage held almost 7GB of data, she began to delete files from that folder... Yes, the files that operate the Android OS. Now I'm pissed. The store manager came by to assist and I told him about my internal memory issue. He told me to delete some apps I wasn't using because I was consuming "almost 16GB of space." I informed him that was impossible considering the OS uses roughly 7GB. In an arrogant, belittling manner, he told me the phone comes with 16GB of available space to the consumer. After a quick Google query, I shut his mouth.

Lastly, I hesitantly asked about the radio quality of the HTC M8; an upgrade consideration. Verizon's response - "All phones get the same reception. You lose signal because you're in a building." Bluntly I asked him if he was deaf because I had already explained that Motorola works just fine at my desk, proven by two coworkers sending and receiving calls on their Verizon Motorola phones.

I learned a valuable lesson today. Verizon may claim the fame of having the best network in America, but their employees have the intelligence of a door knob. How their company maintains business/client relationships is astonishing. I am an aerospace research scientist with a master's degree in Theoretical Physics. I'll have my Ph.D. in less than a year. I guess I'm accustomed to working with intelligent people who know how to do their job well. With an unemployment rate of 7.2% you'd figure Verizon could be more selective in who they hire. If there is anything I can take away from this embarrassing situation is that forums, such as Android Central, are comprised mainly of contributors who have read up on wireless technology and are better equipped to answer questions and make suggestions than the brainless, ignorant, uninformed, and dare I say, mentally challenged retail-rejects at Verizon Wireless. My future Q&A will be made through the Android Central community, where there is far more observable intelligence than at the corporate Verizon stores.

This quote inside your post: (In an arrogant, belittling manner), was funny to read, considering you were in a wireless store. For a kick, call the landline portion of the V, and you will really hear In an arrogant, belittling manner, just sayin'...

Here is the thing. For most people on Verizon, it is about the network, plain and simple. Secondly, it is cost related too, but many people are willing to pay more for verizon's network. So Verizon focuses on that. Their staff is mainly there to sell, with very minor tech support in the store. Most people aren't asking the kinds of questions you are asking. They are probably asking, how do I reset the phone, how do I set up e-mail, and other basic questions. For these questions, the csr there should be able to help. Can Verizon hire more qualified people to staff their stores? Yes, but to hire people who are very proficient in all the products that they sell would require them to pay those employees quite a bit more than what they are paying them now. While some people might be willing to pay more for more knowledgable staff, I can pretty much guarantee that the vast majority of people put your concerns lower than say network quality and price.

This is the same with most sales staff, they are there to sell. Many don't care what they say, so long as you buy.

That's very true, and it is of course not limited to Verizon. I think on the whole, any retail salesperson in a tech-related store will have basic knowledge of how a device works, but they're not there to be your tech support--that's what the customer tech support line is for (which is a whole different annoyance, I'll give you that). There's always a decent chance that a given store will have one person who knows his or her stuff, but it's always a crapshoot. I always tell people here that they are much better off posing their tech questions in this forum rather than asking people in a retail wireless store.

That being said, it would have been nice for the staff at the store to simply admit they didn't really know the answers to your questions in detail, and perhaps refer you to the tech support line (or Android Central!). Instead of randomly deleting stuff ...

That's very true, and it is of course not limited to Verizon. I think on the whole, any retail salesperson in a tech-related store will have basic knowledge of how a device works, but they're not there to be your tech support--that's what the customer tech support line is for (which is a whole different annoyance, I'll give you that). There's always a decent chance that a given store will have one person who knows his or her stuff, but it's always a crapshoot. I always tell people here that they are much better off posing their tech questions in this forum rather than asking people in a retail wireless store.

That being said, it would have been nice for the staff at the store to simply admit they didn't really know the answers to your questions in detail, and perhaps refer you to the tech support line (or Android Central!). Instead of randomly deleting stuff ...

Usually they would just say whatever. When I was buying a car, i asked how much hp the car had. He quoted me the wrong hp. Another time, I asked him if this was standard or if this was an optional item. He said that it was optional, when it was standard equipment.

Tech stores aren't usually any different. The people selling aren't going to know the specifics, just enough to sell it to you

Verizon doesn't have real tech support in store. And even when calling in, most of the time they just read through a script that usually involves removing the battery, factory data reset. Once that is done and the problem persists, then they would just send you a replacement or a sim. Don't get me wrong, I have gotten knowledgeable people, but it is very rare. If you think about it, to have someone who is very knowledgeable costs a lot of money, unless they truly like their job. I am guessing phone reps aren't making a very high salary, so, you get what you pay for

As technology grows, the people in control of it need to grow with it. Computer Science majors constantly have to take classes to keep up with technology. My company continuously trains engineers on prototype designs created by my department (research). Verizon has deep pockets. They, like my company, can afford to train their staff to be proficient at using their phones. I mean the rep deleted my friggin photos trying to save them to my SD card. The manager didn't know what ROM was. Are you kidding? And, the manager said that bloatware doesn't consume internal memory. Is that a fact? Then where does it save? Then the rep started deleting my OS files! C'mon! She's a moron!

I didn't ask anything too complicated. I asked:.
1) For help saving all possible memory to the SD card
2) Reception quality on the M8
3) Why Motorola works at my desk and Samsung doesn't.

I didn't ask her to calculate the centripetal force of a 10' diameter cobalt alloy turbine producing 17,000 ft/lbs of thrust at a specific air altitude with relative atmospheric density climbing at a 17 angle...

People working at Verizon retailers are not computer science majors. Most are probably only high school graduates. And for most, this is a slight step up from working at Walmart. So you are certainly not getting the cream of the crop here. Many do not really care and just want to get a pay check. With customer service, it really depends, I have gotten some excellent customer service from Verizon, and sometimes very lousy. Stores are not really there for technical support. If you have a technical issue, you should call in. And even then, many times, these reps are not that technically inclined.

While it would be nice to have very knowlegable csr's, Verizon chose not to do so to keep costs down.

To me, Verizon's main purpose is to provide wireless service. So I would rather them know Verizon's policies over some topics that most people do not prioritize highly.

Store managers are not hired based on their technical prowess, but based on how well they can manage the store.

Here is the thing. For most people on Verizon, it is about the network, plain and simple. Secondly, it is cost related too, but many people are willing to pay more for verizon's network. So Verizon focuses on that. Their staff is mainly there to sell, with very minor tech support in the store. Most people aren't asking the kinds of questions you are asking. They are probably asking, how do I reset the phone, how do I set up e-mail, and other basic questions. For these questions, the csr there should be able to help. Can Verizon hire more qualified people to staff their stores? Yes, but to hire people who are very proficient in all the products that they sell would require them to pay those employees quite a bit more than what they are paying them now. While some people might be willing to pay more for more knowledgable staff, I can pretty much guarantee that the vast majority of people put your concerns lower than say network quality and price.

This is the same with most sales staff, they are there to sell. Many don't care what they say, so long as you buy.

Yes. But to tamper with a device and delete is totally unacceptable. Holy moley.

I didn't ask anything too complicated. I asked:.
1) For help saving all possible memory to the SD card
2) Reception quality on the M8
3) Why Motorola works at my desk and Samsung doesn't.

I didn't ask her to calculate the centripetal force of a 10' diameter cobalt alloy turbine producing 17,000 ft/lbs of thrust at a specific air altitude with relative atmospheric density climbing at a 17 angle...

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Your only problem was that you bothered to ask them anything at all.......

People working at Verizon retailers are not computer science majors. Most are probably only high school graduates. And for most, this is a slight step up from working at Walmart. So you are certainly not getting the cream of the crop here. Many do not really care and just want to get a pay check. With customer service, it really depends, I have gotten some excellent customer service from Verizon, and sometimes very lousy. Stores are not really there for technical support. If you have a technical issue, you should call in. And even then, many times, these reps are not that technically inclined.

While it would be nice to have very knowlegable csr's, Verizon chose not to do so to keep costs down.

To me, Verizon's main purpose is to provide wireless service. So I would rather them know Verizon's policies over some topics that most people do not prioritize highly.

Store managers are not hired based on their technical prowess, but based on how well they can manage the store.

This is similar to when I hear friends/co-workers complain about having to call tech support phone lines (for any company), and hearing them say stuff like, "I can't believe that the person on the other end of the phone didn't know how to re-calibrate our flux capacitor to the proper custom frequency even thought I told him we were running the TK-421 modifier kit!!! -- why don't they hire people who know how to work their products!?!?"

I always have to remind them that the kind of people that are smart enough to know what they are talking about, are not the same people applying for jobs that require them to answer phones in a call center all day.

It's exactly the same for the sales people in the stores, you really should not expect these people to be experts, let alone even care all that much about the subject matter...to most of them, it's just a job, and it's a job that many of them probably hate.

If you have hardware issues and need to get something fixed under warranty, call the company support number. If you require *ACTUAL* technical support on the operation of the product, either pay for top tier support or use the online communities.

To the OP, let's face it, if you're here on Android Central, you probably already knew the answers to the questions you were asking.

(And yes, it's well known that the Samsung phones, as nice as they are, seem to have lousy radios/reception compared to most of the other popular manufacturers).

2) Reception quality on the M8
3) Why Motorola works at my desk and Samsung doesn't.

The answers to those are more technical that you give them credit for.

And they're in the business of selling products to customers. They may not want to bash reception on HTC and Samsung phones in favor of Motorola because they sell you on the quality of their network. (and there probably is a higher commission on selling a Galaxy phone)

I have been a Verizon customer for many years, long before we had wireless. Many times I have had to call them about a service or device problem. On exactly 2 occasions I reached someone who understood what my problem was, and was able to help. All the other times I was prodded to upgrade or purchase something else. Every 'technical' question I had was met with a stock answer intended for old ladies who don't know what a browser is. We are all better off with a forum like this, or Googling for info on our own

The answers to those are more technical that you give them credit for.

And they're in the business of selling products to customers. They may not want to bash reception on HTC and Samsung phones in favor of Motorola because they sell you on the quality of their network. (and there probably is a higher commission on selling a Galaxy phone)

More importantly, they are probably also trained to not provide their own personal opinions on devices, especially if they are negative.

I mean, I wouldn't want to go into the store to ask about products, and have the salesperson say to me, "DON'T BUY THE DROID PHONE IT SUCKS THE IPHONE RULZ!!!1!!".

For the most part, the sales people aren't gonna say too much more than what you can already find on the promotional materials (and frankly, I wouldn't listen to their recommendation if they did give it to me). Even when they try to steer you from one device to another, it's probably because they were told by management to push it that way.

Same thing goes for answering loaded questions like, "why do my co-workers Motorola phones get better signal than my Samsung?". A sales person on the floor is probably NOT going to have any technical data to give you a response that could be classified as anything other than opinion or hearsay...and I assure you that is why management would discourage them from giving any response other than what the OP got.